The Ship of Lost Souls
by Barbarossa Rotbart
Summary: Traveling by sea Buffy encounters a ghost ship, the Ship of Lost Souls. Will she survive or will she loose her soul? A "Buffy in the Hyborian Age"-adventure.
1. The Legend of Captain BlackHeart

**Disclaimer:** Buffy belongs to Joss Whedon and 20th Century Fox. Conan and the World of the Hyborian Age was developed by Robert E. Howard (and butchered by Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp), they now belong to Conan Properties International. Elements of this story are based on the Adventure "Das Schiff der Verlorenen Seelen" written by Claus Lenthe for the German roleplaying game "Das Schwarze Auge". Everything new is MINE!

**The Ship of Lost Souls**

**The Legend of Captain Black-Heart**

Centuries ago a malicious pirate was roaming the seas between Barachan Isles and the Black Coast. His name was Iango of Zingara, but for his cruelty and pitilessness everyone called him Captain Black-Heart. He did not care who his victims were. Every one could become victim of his black ship with black sails. He raided coastal villages and towns razed them, carried of the survivors and sold them into slavery. He attacked trading vessels, killed their crews and took their cargo as his own. Even other pirates were not safe from him. Most of them were simply killed. Kushite pirates fared better. Those were only sold into slavery. But his fellow Zingarans fared worse. He tortured them to death and nailed their corpses to the masts of their ships, using only one nail, which he drove through their foreheads. He was so cruel that all nations which had to suffer from his attacks did not only put a huge bounty on his head but joined together and sent out a huge fleet to hunt him down and bring him to justice. But they never got hold of him or his black ship. He always escaped them. And his crew was so fiercely loyal that they never betrayed him and collected the bounty. They were nearly cruel as their captain.

But one day, after five years of terrorizing the seas and escaping his hunters, his luck ran out. That day they had captured a vessel transporting a huge treasure. They did not know that this treasure belonged to a forbidden evil cult, which had left Shem in a hurry. After they had killed both crew and cultists the pirates split the treasure among them as it was their custom. A huge jewel, which was the centerpiece of the treasure and the unholy and cursed relic of the murdered cult, was claimed by their captain. But then the trouble began. Greed got hold of their souls. Everyone wanted this jewel for himself. But their captain did not give up his claim and hid the jewel deep in the bowels of his ship. So they started a mutiny. Those still loyal to him were butchered by their former comrades and Captain Black-Heart was taken alive. The mutineers did not kill him outright. He was alive as they nailed to the main mast of his own ship. Like he did with countless others, they used only one nail which they drove through his forehead into the main mast. There he died cursing his unfaithful crew.

But with his death the fighting did not stop. No, they fought for the unholy jewel until they killed each other. And their deaths fueled the evil inside the jewel. So the ship became a ghost ship. Centuries later the ship of lost souls was still roaming the seas searching for new victims, or so the sailors said. And they warned everyone that if they saw a black ship with black sail on the horizon, they should turn around and flee and pray to their gods that the pirates, who returned to unlife by the cursed jewel, would not get them. But no one believed them. They say that it was just an old tale yarned by old sailors to frighten landlubbers.


	2. Leaving Stygia

**Disclaimer:** Buffy belongs to Joss Whedon and 20th Century Fox. Conan and the World of the Hyborian Age was developed by Robert E. Howard (and butchered by Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp), they now belong to Conan Properties International. Elements of this story are based on the Adventure "Das Schiff der Verlorenen Seelen" written by Claus Lenthe for the German roleplaying game "Das Schwarze Auge". Everything new is MINE!

**Leaving Stygia**

Traveling by sea was always an adventure. Many things could happen. Pirates could attack the vessel, raiding the cargo, killing those who did not surrender and selling the crew and the passengers into slavery. But pirates were not the only danger. Monstrous creatures of the sea like sea snakes, giant kraken and whales could also attack the ship damaging the seriously or even sinking it. And there was always the unpredictable weather. The wind could calm down making it impossible to use the sails. Or it could increase into a gale and the poor ship caught in it would be at mercy of the waves if it did not find a bay or harbor in time. Thus were the dangers of traveling by sea in this age.

Teje, a young Stygian priestess of Isis, knew about these dangers, but she also knew that she had to face them if she wanted to prevent a vision she had from coming true. So she had traveled to Khemi, the main seaport of Stygia. And now she was looking for a ship that would take her to her destiny. But that was not easy. Although they trade with Stygians, many masters would hesitate to take a Stygian a passenger aboard their ships. And if that passenger is also a woman and a priestess all of them would refuse letting her aboard. The refusal had two reasons. One was the common superstition sailors had about women aboard of ships. Many believe that a woman aboard of a vessel would bring bad luck. The other reasons was that Stygian priest were feared by everyone, even if they were members of a lesser cult and not of the all dominating cult of Set. Or the price fro the passage was more than she could pay.

She had thought about hiding her origin and her profession by wearing clothes of a different culture, but there had been not enough time for that. She was still wearing an Stygian dress. A long, plain, transparent and strapless gown clung to her body held in place directly under her bare breasts by a narrow girdle. Her feet were bare. A broad collar necklace made out of faience beads and gold, a golden necklace with the symbol of Isis, the sun disk between a pair of horns, and golden bracelets completed the ensemble.

After a while and many dismissals she found herself in front of a small sailing ship. Some sailors were carrying amphoras, baskets and crates aboard the ship. Others were stowing the cargo away. A man who seemed to be the master stood there and shouted orders. All of them, men and women alike, were dressed the same way, wearing something that could be described as a cross between a loincloth and a kilt with a broad belt holding it in place.

"You're looking for a passage, eh?" The master asked her. He was tall, handsome and had curly black hair and well-cared beard. His eye were twinkling gaily. He spoke Stygian with an heavy accent.

"If it's not too expensive?" She asked him.

"One piece of silver per day. That's less than most will charge for a place on their ships. If you can't afford it you can work for your passage." He raised his hands in an appeasing gesture. "No, no, not what you think. If I would sell passages aboard my ship for sex, my first mate and and half my crew'd kill me (or want a raise)." Then he smiled. "I can always need another helping hand, even if it's a priestess or a healer. The seas are dangerous enough."

"Thanks, but I can pay." Teje smiled back. "When do you leave?"

"As soon as my first mate returns with the provisions I've sent her to get." He looked around searching for something. "And if she does not return soon, I think about letting her swim." He chuckled. "No, that would be too cruel." Then he returned his attention towards Teje. "You're on the run, eh?"

"Why do you think that I am running away?" Teje asked him.

"Well," he said. "You've not asked to where we are sailing. And you're a young priestess with no retinue, slaves and luggage. And you're taking no Stygian vessel. So, me thinks, that you're having problems with the family, the authorities or the priests of Set."

"And if that's the case?" she asked innocently. She had no problems with either of the groups the ship's master had mentioned, but she did not tell him that. Her family was dead, murdered by raiders years ago. The authorities of Khemi did not dare to question the motives of priestess. Teje had her problems with the priesthood of the evil god Set, but she was just a simple priestess of Isis and thus no danger to the almighty cult of Set.

"No problem. I don't ask, you don't tell. And we're all happy." His smile became broader. "I'm Timereos, the master of the _Heiros_."

"I am Teje, a priestess of Isis." She introduced herself.

Timereos bowed and made an inviting gesture pointing to the ramp leading on the ship. "Welcome aboard, Teje. We're ready to weigh the anchor." Then we looked up and saw something that made his even broader than before. "Ah! The rest of my missing crew has arrived."

Teje turned around and saw a group of four approaching the quay on which the ship lay. Two men and two women were carrying some small crates and amphoras. One was a large Hyborian male with fair skin, short brown hair, brown eyes and short bread. He wore a breast plate over a knee-length tunic, sturdy boots and bracers. A great sword was slung over his shoulder. The other man was an old sailor with white hair and an unkempt beard. He wore the cross between a loincloth and a kilt the other sailors of the _Heiros_ also wore and a sleeveless padded leather jerkin which would have fit him years ago but now it was at least one too small and could not hide his large belly anymore. And he could not button it up.

Then came a dark skinned woman. She was perhaps partially of Kushite origin so dark was her skin. And she was tall and of slender but athletic build. Her long black hair had been tied to a ponytail. She only wore a broad leather girdle which covered her waist. The woman wore nothing else. She had to be the first mate of the _Heiros_, because the smaller woman she was talking to was known to Teje. It was someone she had not seen since her return to Stygia two years ago.

"Buffy?" the young priestess called out in surprise.


	3. The Slayer and the Priestess

**Disclaimer:** Buffy belongs to Joss Whedon and 20th Century Fox. Conan and the World of the Hyborian Age was developed by Robert E. Howard (and butchered by Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp), they now belong to Conan Properties International. Elements of this story are based on the Adventure "Das Schiff der Verlorenen Seelen" written by Claus Lenthe for the German roleplaying game "Das Schwarze Auge". Everything new is MINE!

**The Slayer and the Priestess**

Buffy had been talking to Sekai, the first mate of the _Heiros_, as someone called out her name in surprise. She looked up and saw a Stygian woman standing on the ramp to the ship and looking at her. Buffy knew her. It was hard to forget your first female lover, even if you had loved other women over the past two years. The woman launched herself at Buffy who only had a moment to pass the amphoras she was carrying to Sekai, who already carried a small crate, before she was hugged by the young priestess.

"I thought that I will ever see you again, my love." Teje said and placed a kiss on Buffy's lips.

Buffy kissed her back. She could hear Sekai chuckling, and some one making a wolf-whistle. That had to be Hericus that large Hyborian from Aquilonia. Buffy knew that that old sailor Nardos would only shake his head and smile. All three of her companions passed her and went aboard.

"Let me take a look at you." Teje said after releasing Buffy from her embrace. "You are wearing more than the last time I saw you."

Buffy eyes followed Teje's gaze as the priestess examined Buffy's clothes with her eyes. The slayer wore comfortable boots and bracers. She still had the small girdle and the dagger she had found the day she had arrived in this age. An abbreviated top made of Hyrkanian silk, which was nothing more than two triangles cloth held in place by some strings, covered her breasts. Two similar silk triangles covered her buttocks and her private parts also held in place by some strings. Buffy was proud of her dress. She was perhaps the only woman in this age wearing a bikini. "Do you like it?" She asked.

"It's beautiful." was her lover's reply.

"Tahnks." Buffy kissed Teje and led her to the ramp. "I've many things to tell you." Arm in arm they walked up the ramp.

The _Heiros _was a small ship with only one mast and two square rigs, one fastened to the mast and the other one fastened to the bowspirt. A single cabin stood behind the mast on the upper deck. Most of the cargo had been stowed in the lower deck.

Timereos went aboard and two sailors pulled the ramp aboard. He talked to his first mate. "Did you get all we need? Even the special goods?"

"I've got everything." Sekai nodded and asked him with a gesture to help her with the amphoras and crates she barely managed to hold in her arms. "Could you please help me?"

Timereos took some of the amphoras and walked to the cabin. Sekai followed him. "We've two passengers. One of them you've already met."

"Yeah. It's really hard not to notice her." They had reached the place where Hericus and Nardos had stowed the crates and amphoras they had carried. Timereos added his amphoras to them and Sekai did the same with her load.

"She's to be an old lover of Buffy." The first mate told him. "And they're still in love."

"Jealous, Sekai?" the master teased. "You know, how she is. A girl in every port and none really satisfying her. Let's hope that our new passenger can give her what she needs. Her name's Teje and she's a priestess of Isis."

"And who's our other passenger?" Sekai asked.

"A Shemite called Dromar." He placed a canvas cover over the goods. "That's all." He stood up and called. "Weigh the anchor! We are leaving!"

In the meanwhile Buffy had told her former lover of most of her adventures of the last two years. Of her time as a caravan guard traveling through the Eastern Desert. Of her time as a thief in Shadizar. Of the time she freed a Khauran town from the clutches of a nest of vampires. And how she had joined the crew of the _Heiros_ in order to escape the wrath of an influentialMessantian noble whose daughter she had seduced (or was it because she had destroyed demon cult which was responsible for his wealth). There had been many more adventures. So many adventures that they both did not notice that they had already left the harbor and were sailing north.

"I hope that we do not meet any pirates." A nervous voice said. That voice belonged to the other passenger of the _Heiros_, a Shemite with a long black beard and dark eyes. He was wearing a floor-length robe with wide sleeves over a skirt. A scimitar hung at his side.

"Then you have nothing to fear." Nardos tried to put the Shemite's mind at ease. The old sailor stood on the railing and looked out to the sea. Buffy and Teje joined them. "Most of the pirates are not interested in a small trading vessel. And those who are would not dare to attack a Barachan vessel."

"But what about those great pirates like the Queen of the Black Coast or Amra the Lion?" Dromar the Shemite asked.

"The Queen of the Black Coast sailed to the south and died there. Only one man survived and I served with him years ago. Amra the Lion vanished without a trace. What happened to him I don't know. But he has not been seen in years. I think that he drowned after his last ship sank. And Conan..." The old sailor smiled. "Conan has turned into a landlubber ... again. I've sailed with him years ago. Conan..." He reminisced about his adventures with the Cimmerian. "There was no better master than him. And the adventures we had... One day we encountered a ship with a black sail. It wasn't a Stygian galley. No it was the Ship of Lost Souls and the undead Captain Black-Hearth was its master looking for souls to reap. But our ship was faster and we escaped a cruel fate. By Mitra, that was perhaps the best sailing maneuvers I've ever seen. We tricked them and out-maneuvered them and reached Tortage before dusk. So they had to give up. But they're still out there, waiting ..."

"Are you telling them one of your old adventures," Sekai interrupted him, "Or is it a new tale you've yarned?" She pointed with her head towards the stern where Timereos was on the helm. "The master wants you." Then she turned her attention towards Buffy. "And you can show the cabin to our passengers."

Dromar declined. "Master Timereos already showed me where to stay."

So Buffy took Teje by the hand and dragged her in the cabin. The small cabin had only to small rooms. One was reserved for the master, while the other one was used as sleeping quarter for the passengers. Three of the bunks were already taken which could be seen by various items that lay on the bunks. There they started to explore each other like two girls madly in love. It started with a long kiss while their hands roamed over the body of the other girl. Teje fumbled with the clasps of Buffy's top and panties, while Buffy skillfully unfastened the girdle that held Teje's dress in place. It slide down to the deck and the priestess stood naked in front of Buffy. The slayer now began to explore the other girl's body with her lips and guided her to Buffy's own buck. She kissed her on the lips, then kissed and licked her breasts. Teje moaned from pleasure. Her navel was the next vistim of Buffy's exploring tongue. The Stygian sat down at the bunk and spread her legs allowing Buffy to reach her center. With a cry the priestess came. "Isis!"

Now it was Teje's turn the pleasure the slayer. She pulled the other girl on the bunk and began her tender exploration of Buffy's body. She was roaming over Buffy's breasts with her hands, exploring Buffy's navel with her tongue and exploring Buffy's wet pussy with her fingers, making Buffy wet and moaning in ecstasy and finally crying out from passion.

This started rounds and rounds of love making which were rudely interrupted by a call of warning. "Sail ahead! A black sail ahead!"


End file.
